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Gallifrey review: Is Intervention Earth a fresh start for the Doctor Who spin-off?

By James Aggas

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Set a long time after the events of the previous series, Gallifrey: Intervention Earth marks a fresh start for the Doctor Who spin-off. Or does it?

When Gallifrey released its sixth series in October 2013, it was also supposed to be the final series, too. The story that had begun back in 2004 had been very neatly tied up, the characters had finally made it home and saved their world, and there were hints of the Time War coming. Considering that at the time, Big Finish didn’t have the rights to New Series material, at least, that was as good an ending as we could hope for.

So it was a considerable surprise when series seven was announced! Especially since its release date was not even a year and a half after series six!

(Keep in mind, this was actually a relatively short wait for the series. Especially when you consider that series four was released five years after series three. And unlike Intervention Earth, four had to continue from a major cliffhanger, too.)

However, Intervention Earth promised that this wouldn’t be the same Gallifrey that we were used to. Set a long time after the events of previous series, this new era of the Doctor Who spin-off featured a new line-up, with Seán Carlsen the only returning actor as Narvin. (Because, seriously, a Gallifrey serious without Narvin is unthinkable!)

Leela was gone, although we didn’t know why. In her place was another former companion of our favorite Time Lord: Ace, who had been left on Gallifrey by the Doctor to be trained as a Time Lord.

Landau’s Romana previously appeared as a future incarnation opposite Lalla Ward. But how well does she do in the leading role?

(Image credit: Gallifrey/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

A new Romana

All of this would be intriguing enough, but perhaps the most interesting new member was one who wasn’t really new at all. President Romana is still a major character in Gallifrey. But she’s not the person she once was. Literally, as this is a new incarnation as played by Juliet Landau.

Landau had appeared in Gallifrey before, in the episodes Renaissance and Ascension. That time, she was playing a future incarnation of Romana. Or rather, a projection of her.

But this time, she’s playing the “current” incarnation. The circumstances of how she came to be aren’t revealed, but it’s interesting hearing her in Ward’s place this time, instead of being opposite her. So we get more of a feel of her incarnation now that she’s really in charge.

Landau’s Romana is more cautious than Ward’s, keeping her cards close to her chest. It doesn’t help that Leela’s no longer around to give her sound advice when she needs it, or even to just be a good friend to her. And while Narvin has been a strong and faithful ally to Romana for a very long time, they’re still somewhat reluctant to actually refer to each other as “friends”.

So we have a new vision of Gallifrey with a (more or less) new team. But how well does the story hold up?

Omega returns in this story, played by original actor Stephen Thorne for the first time since 1972’s The Three Doctors.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Conspiracy thriller

Another major change for the series is the more serialized format that Intervention Earth uses. In the previous series, while episodes would naturally follow on and develop from each other, they’d also have something distinct about them, too. Not standalone, exactly, but a slightly different story, or even just a different focus.

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With Intervention Earth, on the other hand, the story is one serial told across four half-hour episodes. It’s a radically different take on the series. Especially as it noticeably moves from backstabbing politics to conspiracy thriller. One built around the return of Omega, one of the founding members of Time Lord society.

It’s an interesting change for the series. Especially since, looking at it in retrospect, it’s something of a one-off. It suits the genre well, at least. I won’t say that Intervention Earth is one of the strongest stories of the series, but it was an interesting experiment, regardless. One that doesn’t feel quite as out of place as the introduction of parallel worlds into the series.

Omega’s return

I also need to comment on how great it is to hear Stephen Thorne back as Omega. While he’s sadly not given a great deal to do, he still has exactly the same awesome voice that he had in The Three Doctors, and he’s not afraid of making Omega as big as he ever was. It’s quite impressive really.

So overall, Intervention Earth can be seen as an interesting and bold move for the series. While it’s easy to miss many of the original members of the team, this is still a change for the series that works, overall. It would’ve been interesting if things had continued in this direction.

But the next story, Enemy Lines, would change that. In a big way…

Next. Review: Was Resolution a strong return for the Daleks?. dark

Have you listened to Intervention Earth? Do you think it was a strong story for Gallifrey? What did you make of Juliet Landau’s Romana? Let us know in the comments below.

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